Tracy Kovalench
Northern News Services

NNSL (Jul 08/98) - The forest fires of northern Alberta are about to face 14 of the territories' finest.

After a month of intense training, a group of previously unemployed young men are now facing a potentially bright future, complete with paycheques and a chance for further advancement.

"Their window of opportunity is a lot wider," says Mike Mandeville, president of the Metis Nation Local 77. "If we start training our youth, we won't have to hire outside any more."

In conjunction with the Environmental Training Centre of Hinton, Alta., and the Synergistics Institute Mandeville brought the first specialized firefighting and fire prevention program to Yellowknife.

The Metis local helped Metis, Dene and non-aboriginal students secure tuition grants from youth initiative programs and the federal Department of Human Resources.

"It's a chance to get the cashflow going a bit better," says Kelly Fullmore, a participant in the program.

Fullmore was laid off from Miramar Con Mine in January. Soon to be the father of three, he plans to pursue a career in firefighting instruction.

Students between the ages of 18 and 32 took 176 hours of classes, focused on four industry-specific areas.

School began with an intensive physical fitness program, followed by classroom study, which included nine theory exams.

In addition to courses applicable to any trade, such as first-aid training and identification of hazardous materials, the men also specialized in specific fire prevention and firefighting courses, including chainsaw safety and high-voltage training.

The students then transferred their knowledge to the land, attacking hot spots (vegetation too close to power lines) in the Yellowknife River area. Graduating this weekend, the men are scheduled to fight their first fire in Alberta this month.

After receiving national certification, the men will be prime candidates for future attack teams, says veteran firefighter and trainer Bill Bresnahan. "These are elite firefighters."